Tim Eliot, aka Current Value is a very busy man; one possibly reaching the top of his game and continually pioneering new directions in Drum and Bass, Dubstep and Techno. Possibly his crowning moment to date came this last week, with the release of one of his contributions (of 2) to Bjork's Biophilia remix series. This is following hot on the heels of providing the beats to her album track 'Sacrifice', and a high-profile Noisia remix on Deadmau5's Mau5trap label. He has continually pushed the boundaries of the genres he operates in, with his incredibly unique sound and highly technical and precise production values. The time is ripe for booking this iconic member of the electronic scene, and with more exciting (secret) projects and collaborations in formulation, he is only set for bigger things.
He's taken the time out of his schedule to answer a few of our questions, as well as piecing together the latest edition of his ongoing 'Ultramonics' series of mixes as a MethLab dedicated special - one of the best mixes that we at MethLab have heard to date. So hit play on the mix and read on to find out a little of what goes on in CV's head...
MethLab // What were you doing just before this interview?
CV // I was doing some shopping for next weeks fruit ration. MethLab // When did you fall in love with snares?
CV // That must have happened around the late 90'ies when I became aware Tech Itch's work.
I've always loved it's kind of crunchy jazzyness combined with a solid tech step arrangement.
I think it was generally my love for harmonics and overtones and thus the singing and ringing within various drumsounds - snares in particular.
MethLab // You're about to have your 75th release (the Bjork remixes) launched, with each year since the 90's seeing an increase in your output. Do you feel you have come close to perfecting your style in this time?
CV // I think one's style is constantly moving and changing as well as being inspired by other music.
I certainly learned a lot in all the years and what matters most for me is to be able to transform certain ideas into music as quickly as possible to be as true to your intentions as possible.
A well trained ear and a certain level of skill are inevidable on the way to perfection...
The journey is the destination.
MethLab // Recent years have seen you branch out into dubstep, and you maintain your distinct sound in this output. Where do you see the heavier end of dubstep heading in the next few years?
CV // I could imagine a growing gap between the noisier end of hard dubstep and the more focussed cleaner and weightier end. There already is one. But I think it will grow...
MethLab // Do you think that the possibilities of the amen break have been exhausted, or is there always more to discover?
CV // For me there's definitely always something new to dicover with amen breaks. Not only in terms of manipulation... Im talking about inventing or recreating amen breaks. My recently released tune "Prism" could give a bit of an insight about that.
MethLab // What was it like collaborating with Bjork? Where you sharing the studio, or was it a distance collaboration? How much input did she have on your beats for Sacrifice?
CV // It was a distance work from my side creating the beats but I didn't touch the mix of the tune.
I got contacted by Bjork's manager who told me that Bjork wanted to sample beats of my tune "The Good" out on my Tech Freak LP. I replied with a clear "no" offering to create a similar beat as close as possible to the one in "The Good". The thing was that they were running out of time and it was literally the last night before the Biophilia album mastering! So I recreated the beat that same night and sent it to them. Later they requested me to render the single parts of this beat for the iPad/iPhone/iPod - App.
MethLab // Having worked with Bjork, and then being first in line for the Biophilia remix series, it seems like you are reaching the top of your game. Where will you go from here?
CV // Yeah, I'm really happy about that as I got two parts (pt 1 and pt 4) of the remix series providing four remixes for them. So let's say "Im aiming high" as for collaborations and remixes in the future :)!
MethLab // Can you imagine producing other types of music than techno, DnB and Dubstep? (Are there any other very popular artists who you would like to work with?)
CV // Yes, I could!
It's just that energetic momentum that catches me in loop based dance music.
MethLab // You keep your production techniques a cloesly guarded secret - is there anything insightful you can tell us about your studio?
CV // I'm working on laptops with FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reason, looking into Studio One now as well.
since I want to keep my setup as mobile as possible I use headphones for monitoring.
Among my recommendations:
Over/On Ear:
- Sony MDR CD900ST
- Roland RH A30
- Brainwavz HM5
- Beyerdynamic DT990 (2005 Premium, 250Ohm)
In Ear:
- Monster Cable - Turbine Pro Miles Davis Trumpet Edition
- Sony MDR 7550 / EX800ST
MethLab // You're a vegetarian.. it seems counter-intuitive to what can be seen as an aggressive sound =) Have you always had this diet?
CV // I'm a vegetarian for 14 years now and happy with it. I really dont see it as a diet.
Yeah some people came to a similar conclusion as well - of it being counter-intuitive...but thats maybe just to first look. I look to it more as being a system of energetic levels - on a food level as well as on a sound level of things. It's more about creating rather than destroying.
I see these things from a producers side.
For me it's a clear win in life when I realize I'm the one to decide, I'm in control if it - to not have meat. Secondly it's surely not about survival - at least not where I live - in a big western city where you can get anything you'd ever dream of in terms of food. I even thought about going raw some day.
MethLab // Favourite country for playing?
CV // Really hard to say... I love to play everywhere but if I'd have to put it in a nutshell,
probably Russia.
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